The invention relates to a system for automatically activating picture-in-picture (PIP) circuitry coupled to or present in a television receiver, when an auxiliary signal is detected at an auxiliary video input. Such an auxiliary signal can be supplied by a video cassette recorder (VCR), optical disc recorder or other types of video inputs.
In existing televisions having PIP abilities, one or more auxiliary inputs are available besides the RF signal input to the receiver's tuner supplied for connection to a cable system or antenna. An auxiliary source of video/audio, such as a VCR, videodisc player, computer, etc., is connected to one of the auxiliary inputs and is thus made available to the receiver for display as either the main picture display or the PIP display. In normal operation such receivers, when first turned on, display the tuner input as a full screen display. The PIP is off until manually activated by the user. If the user desires to view the auxiliary program source, either as a full screen display or a PIP display, he must choose these options using an on-screen menu driven selection process which can be relatively complicated and time consuming, but nevertheless necessary, if the viewer wants to access the auxiliary source of programming.
When the VCR, or other auxiliary source, is activated, the auxiliary source is unavailable for display until the user take the following steps:
1) chooses an input menu with the remote control,
2) selects, using a series of sub-menus, the auxiliary input for the full screen display.
Using another sub-menu, the PIP feature can be activated (showing the tuner input when the auxiliary input is on full screen display) and using the "swap" button of the remote control, the auxiliary input can be placed in PIP and the tuner input placed on the full screen display, or vice versa.
Unless these or similar steps are taken, display of the auxiliary source does not take place. In other words, the user doesn't see the auxiliary program. This leads to confusion and frustration for viewers without the skill or desire to deal with the menu process.
A similar situation exists when both the auxiliary input and the tuner input are being displayed (one input in full screen display and one in PIP display), in prior art systems. If the auxiliary source is turned off, a blank display or "snow" is present on the respective display until the user selects an appropriate input via the menus as described above, leading to further annoyance to the user.
Since most receivers "remember" which input was provided to the full screen display at the time the receiver is turned off, and automatically provide that input to the full screen display upon turning on the receiver again, a blank screen or "snow" will be displayed on the full screen display if the receiver is turned off while the auxiliary input is provided to the full screen display, and the receiver, but not the auxilary input source, is turned back on again. When this happens, the user must go through the menu process to re-select the tuner as the full screen display.
It is the object of the instant invention therefore, to provide an improved user/receiver interface.